nonrenewable

adjective

non·re·new·able | \ ˌnän-ri-ˈnü-ə-bəl

, -ˈnyü-\

Definition of nonrenewable

: not able to be renewed : not renewable a nonrenewable service contract especially : unable to be replaced or replenished once used … most of the natural resources that we exploit for energy and minerals are nonrenewable. Once they have been used up, they cannot be replenished—at least in our lifetime. — Sheldon Judson and Marvin E. Kauffman A nonrenewable resource is a resource that cannot be replaced after it is used. Minerals and many fuels are nonrenewable resources. — Dr. Timothy Cooney et al. Physical and economic shortages of nonrenewable resources require research programs aimed at developing renewable replacement resources. — Predicasts Technology Update Lubbock is the principal city of the semi-arid southern High Plains of Texas, where the extensive, nonrenewable Ogallala aquifer is the major water resource. — AAG Abstracts

Examples of nonrenewable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The problem, of course, is that taxing pollution from nonrenewable energy is an incredibly divisive political issue. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "A Tax Credit Fueled the Solar Energy Boom. Now It's in Limbo," 14 Aug. 2019 The Obama administration limited them to three-month nonrenewable terms, and some states, including California, have outlawed them entirely. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: The 10 worst things Trump has done to harm your healthcare," 20 Aug. 2019 Under the Obama administration, these plans were limited to three-month nonrenewable terms. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: California shows all states how to protect patients from Trump’s attacks on Obamacare," 16 Aug. 2019 European leaders will meet in Brussels on Sunday in an effort to thrash out a handful of EU top jobs including the ECB’s next leader, whose term is nonrenewable. — Tom Fairless, WSJ, "ECB’s Draghi Grows Bolder as His Tenure Nears End," 30 June 2019 Roughly 60 billion tons of renewable and nonrenewable resources are extracted globally every year. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Our Planet Just Got a Health Check, and the Diagnosis Is Grim," 6 May 2019 Holding justices to a single, nonrenewable term would lower the stakes of any individual Supreme Court nomination as well as make the timing of fights more predictable. — Ezra Klein, Vox, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the case for 18-year Supreme Court terms," 26 Dec. 2018 To lower the stakes of confirmation battles, Faris favors eliminating lifetime tenure for judges and adopting the nonpartisan group Fix The Court’s plan of nonrenewable 18-year term limits. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Court-packing, Democrats’ nuclear option for the Supreme Court, explained," 2 July 2018 What's more, the manufacturing process of most chemical fertilizers depends on nonrenewable resources, such as coal and natural gas. — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, "Everything You Need To Know About Organic Fertilizer," 10 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonrenewable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.